


Compromises

by crow (witchfire)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Voldemort Wins, Bottom Remus Lupin, It took a lot of words to justify this threesome, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Porn With Plot, Rough Sex, Threesome - M/M/M, Time Skips, Top Severus Snape, Top Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:13:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchfire/pseuds/crow
Summary: The world is changing and Sirius has to make some big decisions. He will do whatever he must to keep Remus safe, even if it forces him to embrace a life he had sworn to deny.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 68





	Compromises

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot can be read either as a standalone or as a prequel to Bitumen, my ongoing multi-chapter story. Thanks for checking it out!

Sirius and Remus sat together on a blanket spread under a wide oak tree. It was a beautiful day. Exams were almost over and most of the students had a day of free time to soak up the good weather before the year ended. There was always a certain worrisome tone to the end of the school year given the state of the Ministry, but the sunshine and mild breeze helped them forget for a while.

Peter leaned against the tree beside them, occasionally biting into his apple as he glared across the yard at their other friend.

“There they go again. It’s like we don’t even matter to him now that he has a girlfriend.” Peter said bitterly. Juice dribbled down his chin and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He turned around when he heard snickering from the blanket, frowning at the sight of the two whispering to each other. “What is it?”

“I was just thinking is all.” Sirius said, “Wondering which one you’re more jealous of- James or Lily.”

“I think they’re adorable.” Remus said, lazily twirling a blade of grass between his fingers, “I don’t even care if it means James has all but forgotten us. I’ll admire from afar and wait for the infatuation to settle.”

“I’m not jealous of either of them.” Peter replied, folding his arms in front of his chest. “Especially not James. He picked a bad time to fall in love with a muggleborn.”

Remus grimaced, “We don’t even know if she’ll be allowed back here next year. I think that’s a worst case scenario, but it could happen. You know, I even heard a rumor they’re going to shut Hogwarts down and turn the building into some facility for the Dark Lord.”

"Wonder what he'd want a whole castle for." Peter mused aloud as Sirius jumped to his feet. 

“That’s ridiculous!” Sirius shouted, tripping over the blanket. He caught himself against the tree. “They can’t just close Hogwarts.”

“You alright there, Padfoot?” Remus looked up at him.

“Where did you hear that? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Closing Hogwarts. Where are all the kids with awful parents like mine going to go?” He paced, their blanket bunching up beneath him, “First they kick out all the decent teachers and replace them with creeps and now this?”

“It’s just a rumor. You know nobody actually knows what’s going on.” Remus said as he stood up. 

“Well I won’t let it happen. Once I’ve graduated I’m going to figure out who’s running the rebellion and join up with them.” Sirius declared, stepping aside so Remus could fold their blanket and tuck it into his bag. 

Peter winced at his loud voice, "Careful talking like that. Never know who's listening."

“Are you ready to head back?” Remus asked as Sirius continued stomping around muttering threats. Peter nodded and the two began walking back toward the school, Sirius noticing a moment later and running after them.

Students were slowly trickling back into the common room as the sun set on their last day. Remus was curled around a book, reading quietly while James and Peter played chess. Sirius figured it was as good of a time as any to sort through the mail he’d been neglecting in the dorm room.

His parents had sent him a couple of letters over the past week as if they expected him to read them. Those could stay on the floor where they were, but a heavy gold envelope from Gringotts had arrived earlier and caught his interest. He popped the thick paper flap open with his thumb and skimmed its contents quickly. Then he read it again. A moment later he retrieved the other letters on the floor and opened them one by one.

The floor creaked as somebody climbed the stairs leading to the 6th year boy’s dorm room. Remus walked in, James close behind. Their conversation halted when they saw Sirius hunched over on the middle of his bed, a pile of letters scattered around him.

“Padfoot? Are you alright?” Remus asked. He sat down on the bed next to him, taking care to not crumple any of the papers.

James picked up a letter, reading it quietly to himself. “Oh. Huh. You ok man?”

“What is it?” Remus asked.

“His dad’s dying.” James said bluntly, “Seems we’re looking at the soon-to-be head of the Black family.”

Sirius scoffed but the sound caught in his throat. He coughed before snatching the letter from James’s hand. “As if.”

“Looks like you’d better hurry up and get disowned then.” James said with a shrug as he moved over to his own bed. He sprawled back, folding his arms behind his head. “No offense, but the world’s better off without him.”

Sirius gritted his teeth, only settling slightly when Remus placed a hand over his. He didn't want to be so upset, but James's casual manner drove a sharp spear of anger through him. Yes, his father was awful, but Sirius felt it was his right to denounce the dying man and nobody else's. 

“You know I'm right. The last thing we need is another rich dark wizard . You’ve said it yourself a million times.” James continued.

“That hardly means it doesn’t still hurt, James.” Remus replied, squeezing Sirius's hand. 

“No, he’s right. He hasn’t been doing anybody any favors.” Sirius said, ignoring the searching expression on Remus’s face, “It doesn't matter. I’m going to bed.”

Remus and James agreed it was about time to turn in and the other members of their dorm joined them shortly after. Sirius already had his bed curtains firmly shut by the time the lights went off. He waited an hour until he heard the telltale sound of sleeping breath through the room. The curtains slid open and he crept out of bed to retrieve James’s invisibility cloak from his trunk.

It was always invigorating striking out through the castle by himself. He wanted a quiet place to think alone for a while and had a couple of places in mind. Their map had been confiscated by Filch, but he had memorized nearly all of the building long ago. Letting his ears and intuition guide him, he navigated the halls without running into another person. The last night at Hogwarts usually saw a significant uptick in misbehavior, but the school had cracked down on its punishments since Headmaster Carrow had taken over that year. Sirius refused to let that stop him. 

He soon entered the dungeons, making his way to a hidden room he had only visited a few times before. It was a private bathroom with a hot spring set aside for the Slytherins. A hot soak seemed like just the thing he needed to clear his head.

He stepped out onto a landing, a low ceiling hanging over dark stone walls. A short stairway led down to a pool of water sourced from the lake. It was spacious enough to fit at least half a dozen people comfortably, but the room was blessedly empty. Humidity rolled over him as he descended the stairs and he stopped at the bottom to lean against the railing while he undressed.

The water was just deep enough to fully submerge himself. He hovered in the center for a minute, but bobbing weightlessly in the silent room did nothing for his detached mood. A submerged bench let him rest his neck against the lip of the pool, and he closed his eyes to think for a while. It really was ridiculous. He had no affection for his father, a cruel man and open supporter of the Dark Lord’s movement. While he had never signed on as a death eater, he had given a fortune toward helping the regime take hold. Sirius had never had much of a relationship with him and he felt no panicked need to establish once before it was too late. Yet he felt conflicted, maybe even sad. 

The door on the landing overhead swung open, creaking loudly enough to make Sirius jump. He froze, eyeing the invisibility cloak by the stairs. There was no way he’d have time to grab it before he was spotted.

Footsteps tapped down the steps, stopping at the sight of Sirius diving underwater. The intruder sighed impatiently before speaking, “There’s no use hiding, I can see you.”

Sirius nearly choked at the sound of Severus’s voice. He burst up from the water, sputtering and angry. Severus stood at the base of the stairs, shirtless with a towel draped over his arm. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized Sirius’s bobbing head.

Sirius could feel his cheeks flush. Being completely nude around him felt so wrong, as if all the power was now in Severus's hands. Refusing to show his discomfort, he sank lower into the water so only his head floated on the surface. "What are you doing here?" 

“I could ask you the same thing.” Severus bit the words at him, positioning himself between Sirius and his clothes.

“Enjoying a swim, what does it look like?” 

Severus stepped onto Sirius's clothes, “You know this room is off limits.”

"Yes which is exactly why I thought it'd be a nice place for a bath, being so secluded and all. Now go on and let me wash myself in peace." Sirius replied, his hair floating around him like a lion mane. 

Severus withdrew his wand from his sleeve and pointed it down at Sirius. "Leave. Now."

"Fuck's sake." Sirius muttered before hauling himself out of the water. Severus kept his wand on him the whole walk back to his clothes, only stepping out of the way when Sirius came too close. 

He pulled on his clothes, scooping the invisibility cloak under his arm in what he hoped was a casual move before checking his wand for damage from Snape's heel. “Just be glad you didn’t snap my wand, Snivellus.”

“I’m sure I’d be doing the world a favor if I did. The last thing we need is another crazed Black with a wand.”

Anger rushed through Sirius. Something about the way he said it reminded him of James, but this time it was coming from Snivellus and he could not let that stand. He pointed his own wand at Severus but rage overtook him, and before either could cast a spell Sirius suddenly had him pinned against the wall with one hand, the other hand holding Severus’s wand arm helplessly to his side.

They stood there a moment, hatred washing over both of their faces. Sirius had his hand against Severus’s throat, a rapid pulse thrumming against his palm. Severus stayed still, likely too proud to fight against the stronger man, but his eyes were full of loathing when he spat, “Get your hands off me.”

Sirius wanted to hit him. He wanted to cause Severus pain, wanted to see the hurt and fear wipe that hateful look off his face. He ripped Severus’s wand from his hand and tossed it in the pool before running for the stairs.

He tossed on the invisibility cloak once he was in the hall and returned to Gryffindor Tower without further incident, returning the cloak to James’s trunk before sliding into bed. He caught Remus watching him from the next bed over and gave him a weak smile before closing his curtains.

\----------

“Look, all I said was that the funeral would be a good place to break it to them. Really drive it home that you don’t care and you’re out of the family.” James said, hands spread wide as he tried to reason with Sirius.

“And all I said was to shut the fuck up.” Sirius replied. He leaned back in his seat and turned to look out of the window. Countryside scenery rushed past their view as the Hogwarts Express hurtled its way back to London.

James looked to Remus and Peter for backup, but both of them clearly wanted to stay out of it. He tossed his head to push his messy hair from his face, “I guess I just don’t understand why you’re so upset over this. It’s not like you even like him.”

“Just drop it, James. I really don’t want to talk about it.” Sirius replied, keeping his eyes on the window.

“Right. Fine. Well, do you still want me to pass on that information about the rebels once I hear more?”

“Through owl post?” Peter asked, frowning, “I’m pretty sure the Ministry is checking mail.”

“Oh right. Well no, I could fire-call.” James shrugged.

Sirius scoffed, “Like I could ever get the fireplace to myself without somebody sticking their nose into my business.”

“What about setting up a code? I could be real subtle about it. Whatever it takes. We need to focus on taking down the Ministry, can’t let excuses stop us from planning over the summer.”

Remus cleared his throat, “There’s actually something I wanted to talk to you all about. I, well… I’ve been offered a part time job with the Ministry for the summer and I’m thinking about taking it.”

“You what?” James shouted, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well… You remember how I had to go to the Ministry last year? To sign onto their halfblood and magical creature registries? And, well…” Remus trailed off, teeth nervously working at his lower lip, “For the first time in my life, the government actually gave a shit about me being a werewolf. And they didn’t want to lock me up in some cage. They sent me an owl recently, saying they started up a new study working on understanding magical creatures and transformations. They want to figure out what can be done to help people like me. I’ve been asked to get involved in a study they’re running, to maybe help others. It was all so organized... I think they could actually make a difference.” Hands balled into tight fists on his lap, he looked to the other three, “It doesn’t mean I support the Dark Lord, not at all, but it isn’t all bad.”

The pleading look in his eyes tore at Sirius’ heart, but James was yelling again before he could speak up, “Not all that bad? Have you lost your mind?”

“That’s actually pretty interesting.” Peter said, “I don’t blame you for wanting to help.”

James threw his hands up in disbelief and turned to Sirius, “Don’t tell me you think this is a good idea too.”

Sirius glanced at Remus, who was staring down at his lap and gnawing into his lip. He desperately wanted to comfort him, but settled for responding to James, “Look, this is clearly a big deal to Remus. Maybe we should finish hearing him out.”

“I’ve said all there is to it.” Remus muttered.

James stared at them all in disbelief before rushing to the door, “Fine. Guess none of you are as serious about this as I thought. I’m going to go find Lily.”

He slid the door shut with a loud bang. The three sat in stunned silence for a moment until Sirius spoke up, “I’m here for you, Remus.”

Remus nodded, giving him a small smile, “Thanks, Padfoot.”

“So what are you going to do?” Peter asked, looking to Sirius, “Are you going to run away and help the rebellion?”

Something about the phrase made Sirius see red even though he knew Peter meant no harm. He bit down on his temper, “Probably.”

“I just… Are you sure that’s the best decision? Voldemort already won. What can the rebels do against him now? Sometimes I worry if we follow through with joining up we’re just going to find ourselves dead.” Peter said, shifting his eyes between them as if letting them in on a great secret, “I think he’s just too powerful to stop now.”

“Oh fuck off Peter. I really can’t listen to this right now.” Sirius snapped. Peter merely shrugged and slipped into the hall.

The compartment was silent for a moment, both boys looking down at their hands until Remus finally spoke up, “I think Peter has a point.”

“You do?” Sirius asked.

“Well, it’s just that I’ve seen some of it first hand. There are so many people backing the new government. Plenty of people who don’t support the Dark Lord but still want to help where they can. Most of what the Ministry is doing is so wrong, but… I’ve started thinking maybe I can help from the inside.” He looked to Sirius, scanning his face for a response.

“Help from the inside? That sounds like the same sort of shit everybody else said right before they gave up hope. Are you giving up too?”

“Of course not… It’s just, look, it’s hard living like this. You know it as well as I do. And if there’s anything I can do to help anybody else with this curse then I want to get involved. But it’s all funded through the Ministry, it’s even done in their main building. So helping the rebels would hurt this program and I don’t know if I can do that.”

Sirius was quiet for a long moment, “Well, I don’t know if I can justify not taking down the Ministry over one small piece of the whole.”

“I understand that.” Remus said, moving from his seat to Sirius’s lap. He wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling against Sirius’s cheek, “I love you Sirius. No matter what happens, I want to be here with you.”

Sirius took Remus’s hand and brushed his lips against his knuckles before reaching up to hold his face. They pressed their lips together, breathing gently as the train rocked against the tracks. “I love you too, Remus. I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we’re together.”

Remus pressed his face against Sirius’s chest and hummed happily. “You know, it’s not often we get to be alone like this…”

“Seems like as good of a time as any to get changed out of our school clothes.” Sirius grinned, running a hand down to unfasten Remus’s front clasp.

They moved in a hurry, separating only long enough to drop their outer layers on the floor before clashing back together. Sirius pushed Remus onto a seat and then straddled him, sliding his hands up under Remus’s shirt. “Let me help you with that.”

The shirt fell to the floor and Sirius ran a trail of kisses along Remus’s jaw, down his throat, coming to rest at his collarbone. He pressed his teeth against skin just hard enough to leave a white imprint that quickly faded away. Remus groaned, pushing into the bite as his own hands worked at pulling Sirius’s shirt up. Sirius leaned back to help him before pressing their bare skin together. Their hearts raced, knowing what they were doing was stupid, knowing somebody could interrupt them. But in that moment they both needed the reassurance of contact.

Remus whined slightly, tugging at Sirius’s pants, “Please Padfoot, can I? Please?”

“What if they come back?” Sirius replied breathlessly as Remus dragged his hand across the bulge in his pants.

Remus reached for his wand where it lay on the windowsill and locked the compartment door. “Now we’ll have a warning first.”

Needing no further convincing, Sirius stood up, his pants sliding down as he moved. He had expected Remus to take off his own pants, but he remained sitting and pulled Sirius closer. Remus kept one hand on Sirius’s hip, the other gently wrapping around the base of Sirius’s cock. His tongue darted out, dragging hungrily along the length. Sirius sighed happily, digging his fingers into Remus’s hair. 

Stars burst against the back of his eyelids as Remus’s teeth teased against skin and nails dug into his hips. Pressing a hand against the back of Remus’s head, he let out a long deep moan.

“Is this what you needed, Moony? Is this what it’ll take to know you could never do anything to drive me away?” he growled, thrusting deeper into his mouth. Remus’s eyes flew open, nodding desperately as he continued sucking. Sirius laughed, fucking harder against his soft lips, dragging out a string of whining noises. “Then be a good boy for me.”

A deep snarl tore out of Sirius’s throat as he came, his hands holding Remus’s head in place, making him swallow every drop. Laughing as he climbed back down, he settled onto Remus’s lap and captured his lips, tasting himself as he rubbed against the neglected cock through the fabric of his pants.

A rattling at the door shocked them back into the world. Sirius kissed him again, letting whoever was at the door knock.

“What is it?” Remus finally called to the door, barely suppressing a groan as Sirius continued rubbing against him.

Peter’s voice called back to them, “Are you guys ready? We’re almost there and I need me and James’s stuff.”

“Yeah, we’re just getting changed. Hold on.” Sirius sighed, pushing himself off of Remus. 

He scooped up his pants and slipped them back on, shooting Remus a look. Remus already had his clothes set aside and was pulling a t-shirt on. He popped his head through the neck hole and smiled, “It’s alright. Maybe we can find some time to finish over the summer.”

Sirius waited for Remus to drag his robe over his lap before unlocking the door. Peter burst into the compartment, talking as he moved.

“Took you long enough. Why’s the door locked anyway?” he didn’t spare them a glance as he tracked down two trunks on the overhead shelves.

“We just wanted some alone time. To talk about perfectly innocent things.” Sirius replied, grinning at the slight blush on Remus’ cheeks.

“You wouldn’t believe the shit James is saying about you two in the other compartment. I don’t think Lily and her friends care, but he seems happy to have people to rant to.”

“Forget him. He’ll get over it soon enough anyway.” Sirius said, shaking his head. Remus didn’t say anything the rest of the ride back to London.

It was hard saying goodbye to Remus, even more so when they realized James had left the station without saying a word. Peter muttered something about Lily being an awful influence on him, which Sirius responded to by punching his arm. The smaller boy whined and made a big show of bruising easily before limping off to his family.

The mood at Grimmauld Place was even more grim than usual. Sirius wanted to retreat to his room the moment they arrived, but his mother immediately called him into his father’s study. A mountain of paperwork awaited him there on the huge desk, with the instructions to fill everything out properly by the end of the summer. He considered emancipating himself right then and there but the paperwork was a better waste of time than actually creeping up that long flight of stairs leading to his parent’s bedroom and forcing a civil conversation with his elderly father. The man was completely bedridden, totally reliant on Kreacher for survival. As much as Sirius loathed their awful house elf, he was glad it was around to deal with everything.

It took most of the summer to sort through the complicated affairs of inheriting one of the Great Families and he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to follow through with it. The Ministry had an unreasonable amount of requirements in place to grant Sirius patriarch status, and even more to gain full access to the family’s Gringotts vault. He assumed this made it easier for the Ministry to seize properties for further funding. Due to his mother’s incredible paranoia she refused to let anyone from outside the family do it. So it became Sirius’s problem.

Meanwhile constant news of the failing uprising flooded the house. His family loved sharing updates on the rising rebel death toll. Relatives were packed into the house constantly, always underfoot with Ministry gossip, always trying to suck up to Sirius as if they suddenly realized his impression of them mattered. The letters he exchanged with Remus were his only break, and even those were embittered by the lack of word from James.

Finally he managed to finish all of the steps to inherit the Black patriarchal title and all of the wealth it entailed, but he held off on mailing any of it to the Ministry. His acceptance of the role had begun to feel inevitable the more his father’s health declined, the more everybody began addressing him as if he was already the new patriarch. 

Every time he considered throwing the paperwork into the fireplace and running away, he thought of his letters from Remus. They were full of such hope for the future, sharing what he could about the lengths the department were taking to contact other werewolves for their studies. It seemed Remus had a guaranteed full time position waiting for him once they finished their last year of school, settling all of his concerns of who would ever hire a registered werewolf. It had never fully occurred to Sirius that Remus’s creature status would have such a negative impact on his future prospects. The potential for unlimited access to the Black bank vault made him wonder exactly what his limits were, what all he could do with those resources to help Remus’s work, or anybody else that might need it.

\--

Remus was waiting for Sirius outside of the greenhouses the first day of their final year of school. There was a garden there hidden from the main path leading to the school and it was one of their favorite places to meet for some alone time. Not that alone time would be nearly the rare commodity it used to be. Peter had somehow stuck himself to a group of Slytherins and James all but ignored them so far.

The two followed the winding trail deep into a thicket of tall weeds concealing their private garden. Once fully obscured by the shrubbery they latched onto each other. They kissed until they were breathless, but Remus’s excitement about his time spent at the Ministry bubbled over before they went further.

Remus cheerfully recounted how enthusiastic the department was to have his participation once his parents signed off on consent. Sirius had wrapped himself around him, unwilling to break contact for even a moment. They were lounging on a bench with Remus’s head in his lap, discussing their plans for after graduation when rustling through the tall grass broke them apart.

Sirius froze, “Who’s there?”

Severus peered into the opening, a grim look on his face when he spotted the two men. “Oh. It’s you two.”

Sirius was up in a moment. He grabbed Severus by the front of his robes and threw him back against a nearby tree. “Spying again, Snivellus?”

“I’m sure he has a perfectly reasonable explanation for being here.” Remus said, standing close behind him to place a hand on his arm.

“Is that right, Snivellus? Do you have a reason for creeping around in the weeds?” Sirius lifted Severus with ease, sliding his back up against the tree trunk.

“Just gathering ingredients, Black. Didn’t mean to stumble upon your little love nest here.”

Rage blossomed in Sirius’s chest, “Is that right? I find that hard to believe.”

“Fascinating as your secret relationship may be, I actually have more pressing matters to attend to.” Severus drawled, staying still in Sirius’s grip.

Remus laughed softly behind them, “Look Sirius, I think he’s blushing.”

Severus’ face was red, but Sirius had assumed it was from the strain of being held inches over the ground. Sirius dropped him and stepped away, wiping his hands on his robes.

“For what it’s worth, Remus has the right idea,” Severus said, “I’m glad to see at least one of you has the sense to know you can do more good from within rather than throwing your life away against the Dark Lord.”

Sirius nearly lunged at him again, but Remus held him back. He settled for another snarl, “So you were snooping on us.”

“Hardly, but your voices do carry. Honestly. Do you really think you can get away with sneaking around all year? People are going to notice.” Severus said, eyeing the two with a strange expression. “Just stay away from me.”

With that he was headed back down the garden path. Sirius watched him leave, frowning, “You really think we’re being as obvious as he says?”

Remus hugged him from behind, “Does it really matter?”

Turning so he could wrap his arms around Remus, he pressed their brows together, “I suppose not, it’s just…”

“I know.” Remus replied, smoothing a hand down Sirius’s hair.

“I think…” Sirius trailed off, only replying when he noticed Remus watching him, “I think I’m going to send in those papers. I’ll take the family.”

“I’m here for you no matter what you decide.” Remus said, kissing him, “But I do know we can find happiness that way, and do some good.”

\--------

Time passed by easily enough, although the tension in the Gryffindor dormitory was thick enough to cut with a knife. James had gathered a few others to openly discuss plans of rebellion and they ordinarily met in the dormitory, which forced anybody not involved to spend most of their time elsewhere. Sirius had sat in on a few of their meetings, but any time he tried to speak up James would promptly shoot him down for being just as bad as the rest of the Dark Lord’s supporters.

Finally James demanded Sirius and Remus either pledge to help the cause, putting their names down on a roster tied to a magical contract, or that they stay away from him. Remus was unable to do so. He tried to explain the work he was doing at the Ministry, tried to appeal to James and their history, but James refused to listen and accused him of being a spineless traitor. It was impossible for Sirius to agree to anything James wanted after that.

Sirius’ father died shortly after graduation. Many people attended the funeral, most of them being the pureblood Dark Lord supporters Sirius had always pledged to hate. The situation weighed heavily on him, but at this point he was committed. It made too much sense to take advantage of the power granted to him by his family name. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Unfortunately he was unaware of how to go about contacting the rebellion without risking exposure before he had even begun.

He was too distracted by the endless wave of Dark Lord sycophants to notice Severus in the crowd. Remus had to point him out, remarking on Severus’s gift of flower arrangements as they were placed on a table by the door.

“Now that’s old school pureblood behavior- flower symbolism at a funeral. Pink and white carnations for loss, and yellow roses for friendship.” he said, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Friendship? Wonder what he wants.” Sirius replied, pointedly turning his gaze away when yet another Ministry employee tried to catch his attention. 

“Oh, I think he’s leaving. Do you mind if I leave you for a bit to go speak with him?” Remus asked, his hand lingering on Sirius’s shoulder.

“Quick, run away, save yourself.” Sirius laughed, and Remus gave him a charming smile before slipping into the crowd after Severus.

The service dragged on for a while longer, but Sirius was eventually able to get away from the crowd. He found Remus near the funeral parlor door, talking to a surprisingly relaxed Severus. He trotted up to them, confusion clear on his face when Remus laughed at some remark and put his hand on Severus’s arm.

“Oh hi, Sirius.” Remus beamed at him, “Severus and I have been catching up. He says he has some important news for us but we wanted to wait for you.”

“Right…” Sirius studied Severus’s guarded expression curiously, “Well, I’m here now.”

More people flooded into the hall from the viewing room and Severus frowned, “Not here. Maybe we can find someplace to talk over a drink.”

“That’s right, Sirius! Severus said he brought more than just flowers for the occasion.” Remus said, “Some sort of special whatsit-”

“Just some liquor I brewed.” Severus replied, clearly tensing under Sirius’s scrutiny, “I’ve tested some of the first batch and thought it was worth sharing.”

“I’m sold.” Sirius clapped his hand on Severus’s shoulder, breaking into a grin when Severus flinched at the contact, “How about we retreat to my study at Grimmauld Place?”

The three apparated to his home, Remus side-alonging Severus. The property was abandoned for the night, the rest of the family knowing they were better off staying out of his way following the funeral. Sirius’ favorite room was his father’s former study, which he had immediately cleaned out and replaced with his own things as soon as the man was dead. He lit a fire in the hearth and repositioned a few chairs to face each other. 

Severus retrieved a small bottle from a pocket inside his robe. Golden liquid splashed inside, oaky aroma filling the air as soon as he pulled the stopper. He poured a sizable amount into three glasses and sat down in one of the overstuffed armchairs.

“Now that’s what I call a peace offering.” Remus said, sniffing his glass. He handed one to Sirius before sitting in the chair next to him.

Severus took a long sip before setting down his glass. “It includes essence of felix felicis in it, for a bit of luck. The effects are mild, but I thought we’d need all the luck we can get to make it through this conversation.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sirius asked, staring at his glass speculatively. 

“I distinctly remember being threatened and thrown against things the last few times we have spoken, Black.”

“Wow, this must have been really complicated to brew then!” Remus interrupted when he saw Sirius’s expression turn dark.

“Well, thankfully the next time I brew it I’ll have a full staff to help.” Severus replied, taking another sip. “I’ve been hired by the Ministry to head a new research and development team. It turns out the Dark Lord is very interested in experimental magic.”

Sirius tried the drink and was annoyed to find it was absolutely delicious. A tiny bolt of inspiration shot through his mind, likely the luck potion elements taking effect.

“Now, are you absolutely sure nobody can hear us in here?” Severus asked.

Sirius nodded, “The wards would tell me if anybody else was on the property, let alone if anybody was listening in on us.”

“Excellent. It seems I have stumbled upon a growing organization within the Ministry.” Severus said, seeming far more relaxed with a drink in his hands, “A sizable number of people who have agreed to work within the Dark Lord’s rule, but are intent on redirecting matters whenever they threaten the common good of humanity. Thanks to them, we have already prevented the first stages of a mass muggle extermination.”

“I heard about that vote! I couldn’t believe the Wizengamot actually blocked it! So they were the ones behind getting so many people to oppose it?” Remus asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Severus nodded, “Nobody was brave enough to vote no for anything until then. And as it turns out, the Dark Lord is actually willing to let the Wizengamot make decisions.”

“What’s even the point of being the Dark Lord if he’s going to let some council tell him to not do things?” Sirius asked.

“I genuinely believe the Dark Lord is far more interested in pushing a different agenda now that the muggle haters have helped him take power. Have you heard much about this religious movement he’s brought into the Ministry? They want to bring back the old tradition of magic worship.” Severus paused a moment to take another sip of his golden drink, “I expect over the years we will all be expected to sign onto that, but that’s not really what I wanted to talk about. Remus, can you think of anybody in your department that may want to join this movement?”

Remus nodded, “Yes, I can think of a few.”

“Excellent. What about you, Black? You took your father’s seat on the Wizengamot, didn’t you?”

Sirius shrugged, “Yeah, but I haven’t heard anything about a rebellion connected to it.”

“Well, I can help connect you to the right people.” Severus said.

“That’d be great. And, er, you can call me Sirius. If you want.” Sirius said before knocking back the last of his drink. Tingling warmth rushed through him, sweeping down to his toes.

They continued drinking for a while, Sirius summoning a few bottles from his personal collection once they had finished Severus’s bottle. They were all properly drunk early into the night, the alcohol working wonders to dissolve the lingering awkwardness between the three. 

“Do you know what the magical world needs?” Remus slurred as he fiddled with Sirius’s ancient radio, “To shut up and recognize the muggles know their music. They have cassette tapes, my mom just loves those. Much better than using junk just because some old asshole figured out how to pump magic into it.”

Sirius laughed, grabbing Remus from behind to lift him up and carry him back to the chairs. He sat down, clamping his arm tight to keep Remus from sliding away. Remus giggled, kicking his legs wildly before sliding around to face Sirius and cover his face with kisses. Sirius grabbed him, pulling him into a longer kiss. Their tongues untangled at the sound of Severus clearing his throat.

“Oh, sorry Sev. Got a little carried away there.” Remus laughed, turning around in Sirius’s lap.

Severus’s cheeks were flushed as he briefly glanced down at the floor, “It’s quite alright.”

“So do you have anybody in your life?” Remus asked, wiggling helplessly when Sirius began tickling him, “What? What? I’m curious!”

Severus shook his head, hesitating a moment before responding, “It’s hard finding a decent man. Worse than while we were at Hogwarts-”

“I knew it!” Remus declared, turning his head to grin at Sirius, “I knew he was into men.”

He got up from Sirius’s lap and perched on the arm of Severus’s seat to play with his hair. Severus froze a moment but relaxed when Remus dug his knuckles in for a massage. “Such pretty hair… you know, I’ve always had a little thing for you. What about you, Padfoot? Isn’t Sev just adorable?”

“Sev?” the two asked in unison, Sirius laughing while the blush on Severus’s face turned a deeper shade of red.

“Never really thought about it.” Sirius said, getting up from his chair to stand closer. He swayed on his feet before them, “But come to think of it, I liked the last time we made you blush so much.”

He was referring to the incident in the garden, which Severus seemed to understand immediately. He brushed Remus’s hands away to stand up toe-to-toe with Sirius, “I should have expected that was more than schoolyard bullying.”

“What can I say? I love a man who begs to be overpowered as much as you.” Sirius replied, pressing a hand against Severus’s chest. He pushed slightly, grinning when Severus leaned closer instead of stumbling back.

They stayed there a moment, a bolt of tension passing between them. Remus broke the silence with more giggling, saying, “You two can kiss now if you’d like. Won’t bother me at all.”

Sirius studied the look in Severus’s eyes, that brief hint of excitement combined with something else. Something far more challenging. Eagerness shot through him, that same sense he had during the full moon while chasing Moony through the forest. But as soon as the thought to pursue the chase crossed his mind, Severus stepped back.

“We are all far too drunk to be making decisions we are sure to regret in the morning.” he said.

“Oh no, you’re not getting away this easily.” Sirius said, keeping his eyes locked on him, “I’m sure you have some sort of tonic for drunkenness tucked in a pocket somewhere.”

Severus swallowed, “I might.”

Remus jumped down from his perch on the armchair, sliding his arms around Severus to feel for hidden pockets. The robes made a light tinkling noise, to which Remus laughed, “Wow, did you bring a miniature potion lab with you?”

Shrugging off his robe, Severus pushed it into Remus’s hands, flushing again when he saw Sirius studying him in his shirt and trousers. Sirius moved toward him and placed a finger along his jaw. Severus shuddered when the finger slipped into the collar of his shirt. Sirius played with the top button, smiling thoughtfully as Severus shifted his eyes back to Remus.

Finally Remus pulled a vial from a pocket, “This says Hangover X on it?”

“That’s the one.” Severus replied. 

Remus popped the vial open with his thumb and took a swig before passing it to Severus, who took a sip and shoved it into Sirius’s hand before stalking off toward the wall of bookshelves in the far back of the room. Hands in his pockets, he kept his back turned to the two while he scanned the selection of books.

“Look at how shy he is, Padfoot.” Remus smiled, still just as eager as the tonic took effect. He took the empty vial back from Sirius and tucked it into the robe where he found it. “You’d almost think he doesn’t want this but I can smell the excitement in him.”

“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.” Severus drawled from across the room, clearly trying to give off a casual impression.

“Are you sure you want this?” Sirius asked Remus softly, taking his hand in his own.

Remus responded by pulling off his shirt, dropping it on the floor before removing Sirius’s as well. He trailed his hands down Sirius’s chest, wrapping his arms around to pull him closer, “Let’s give him a little show to see if he wants to join in.”

Sirius lifted Remus and carried him over to the large desk in the corner. Shoving a few obstacles off of the surface, he laid Remus down on his back and crawled on top of him. Remus wrapped around him, biting his way from Sirius’s jaw, across his cheek, up to his lips. Their mouths met, open and sloppy as they ground against each other. Remus moaned, dragging his nails down Sirius’s back, then tilted his head to see Severus watching them.

“Sev, could you come over here and help me take off my pants, please?” Remus asked before another moan rolled out of him.

Sirius shifted, putting all of his weight on his forearms to show Severus he had easy access to Remus’s belt. A moment later he felt hands slide between them, deft fingers unhooking and sliding off the offending clothes. They fell to the floor and the hands returned, tentatively sliding up Remus’s leg.

“Come here, Sev.” Remus murmured, reaching a hand toward him as Sirius lowered back down to suck on his throat, “I want to kiss you.”

Severus hovered at the edge for a long moment. Sirius stopped his assault on Remus's throat to stare him down, daring him to join them. Something within Severus broke and he moved, leaning down to capture Remus’s lips. They moaned together, Remus rolling to his side to hold Severus’s face between his hands. Sirius slid off the desk and pulled off his own pants and briefs, then tugged off Remus’s briefs and added them to the pile.

“You’re looking overdressed there, Severus.” He said, watching the two press against each other.

Remus dragged Severus up into a seated position on the desk and pulled off his shirt, his eyes lighting up as they scanned his torso. “Such pale skin. So pretty. I want to make marks all over it.”

Severus glanced at Sirius, who laughed and slid onto the desk with them, swinging his legs off the edge, “That’s just his wolf talking. He won’t hurt you unless you ask.”

“Ask me, won’t you, Sev?” Remus murmured, dragging his hands down Severus’s back. “I want to play with you.”

Severus seemed to have a hard time speaking, but he eventually gave him an answer, “Then do it."

Sirius wondered how long it would take for him to regret that. Remus grinned and bit into Severus’s shoulder, moving onto his lap to straddle him. His hard cock rubbed between their thighs, grinding against the rough fabric of Severus’s pants. Severus let out a loud noise as nails dragged down his back, a noise that didn’t quite seem like a protest.

Sirius slid off the desk and moved to stand beside Severus. He took the man’s jaw in his hand, turning his neck to face him. Severus stared up at him with heavy-lidded eyes, looking drunk again despite the potion. His mouth hung slightly open and Sirius darted down to taste his lips.

The kiss felt more like a battle, the two clashing for dominance over whose tongue would take control. Finally another bite from Remus forced a gasp from Severus and Sirius took over. Remus laughed gleefully as Sirius climbed back onto the desk, and he slid away to give them room. There was a soft jingling noise as Remus pulled off Severus’s clothes and threw them on the floor.

Severus dragged Sirius onto his lap, moaning loudly when their cocks pushed against each other. Remus paced around them like a starved animal, watching as he lightly stroked his own cock. Sirius soon felt the soft brush of Remus’s hair against his stomach as he pushed his face between them, forcing them to part slightly in order to drag his tongue around Severus’s straining head.

Sirius continued sucking on Severus’s tongue, consuming the delicious noises rolling out of Severus’s mouth as Remus attacked him with his mouth. Severus went limp, pulling out of the kiss to rest against Sirius’s shoulder as Remus changed the angle to take him down into his throat. 

“Come on, the couch will be far more comfortable for this.” Sirius said as Severus dropped all of his weight against his arm.

Remus slid the cock from his mouth reluctantly, a thin trail of spit connecting them until Severus shifted away. They followed Sirius back toward the fireplace where he had thrown himself down on a sofa. Sirius stroked himself lightly at the sight of the two cocks twitching eagerly beside him. 

Remus sat down on his lap, pressing Sirius’s cock under him and smiled sweetly up at Severus. “You wouldn’t happen to have any lube in that stash of yours, would you?”

Severus snorted and retrieved his wand from the crumpled robe on the floor. He cast a spell that coated his hands in a shiny substance. He held out a palmful to Remus, who blinked up at him and scooted off Sirius’s lap. “Could you rub some of that on Sirius, please?”

“Very well,” Severus murmured as he sat down between them, dipping his fingers into the puddle of oil and lightly tracing them up Sirius’s cock. 

Severus’s hand encased Sirius in slippery warmth. He moved cautiously, slowly sliding up and down as Sirius dropped his head back. Remus wrapped his arms around Severus as he worked, pressing teeth against skin.

Severus’s motions gained confidence. The pressure was persistent, demanding Sirius’s full attention as it drove him close to the edge. Just when he was gasping and thrusting himself into Severus’s fist, the hand pulled away with a low laugh. Severus turned around, wiping some of the oil on Remus’s hands and they stroked each other while Sirius pushed back his approaching orgasm.

It was unbelievably hot watching the two of them, Remus’s lighthearted teasing and Severus’s solemn expression at complete odds with each other. Sirius sat up, biting onto the shoulder opposite the one Remus had already marked and wrapping a hand around Severus to take control of whichever cock he found first. Both of them moaned in unison, though Sirius could tell by feel that he had grabbed Remus.

Remus fell forward against Severus, filthy words tumbling from his mouth as Sirius jerked him off. “Sev, tell me, do you like it up the ass? Do you want to be inside mine? I want you there, Sev, come on, use your hands, touch me-”

His words died into a long string of moans as Severus obliged and lifted him slightly, dragging a hand down to press against Remus’s opening. Remus shuddered violently, begging Sirius to let go of him as Severus slid his fingers inside.

Sirius moved his hands to Severus, one taking hold of his balls as the other gripped his head. Severus thrust into his fist, moving in time with the fingers pushing into Remus. Sirius bit Severus’s neck hard, then dragged his tongue up the side of his ear. “Time to make a decision, Sev. Do you want to fuck him first, or watch me?”

Severus shuddered hard against him and Sirius released his cock, smiling, “I’ll give you a moment to catch your breath.”

Remus whined as the fingers pulled out of him, Severus stepping aside to switch places with him. Remus moved onto Sirius’s lap, back to Sirius's chest, eyes closed and whimpering with need as Sirius slowly pushed into his hole. Severus sat facing them, lightly running his hands along his cock as he watched them move together. 

“Oh, let me- let me-” Remus cried out, leaning forward desperately to grab onto Severus’s shoulders, using him as leverage to continue riding Sirius. “Please Sev, fuck my mouth, please.”

Sirius watched as Severus considered the best position to oblige him and pushed Remus off of him for a moment. Remus let out another cry, but Sirius dragged him to his feet. “Sev, sit back. Remus, over here.”

He guided Remus around the couch and folded him over the armrest, pushing back inside of him as Severus positioned himself to let Remus latch onto him with his mouth. Remus made a contented noise around Severus’s cock, reaching a hand down to stroke himself as they all moved in unison.

Sirius and Severus locked eyes as Remus squirmed between them, and the words rushed out of Sirius before he knew they were coming, “I’ve always hated you, you know.”

Severus tilted his head back, groaning out a responding “I know.”

Remus popped up, rubbing his face against Severus’s wet length to say, “Well I always thought you were cute.”

Both of their hands pushed his head back down, silencing him with Severus’s cock. Remus’s shoulders shook with laughter as he dug his nails back into Severus’s skin. Lines of white turned red, the skin splitting open as he dug deeper into the flesh.

Sirius was sure he was going to finish first, the way Severus kept staring at him, dragging him further and further into a spiral of pleasure. Eventually he did come, Remus springing his head back up as Sirius made his final thrusts into him.

“Your turn Sev, please, I wanna feel you next.” Remus crooned, stretching himself long over the armrest. 

Severus sat up on the couch and guided Remus onto his lap. Remus took him in easily, Sirius’s come leaking out of him and running down Severus’s lap as Severus stroked his cock. Sirius sat down beside them, leaning his head back against the sofa. Both men reached for him at once, and Sirius met Severus’s open mouth as Remus bit into his upper arm. He crushed them in an embrace, feeling them vibrate as their bodies twitched into an orgasm together.

Remus rolled off Severus’s lap, staggering slightly before he crawled onto the floor belly-down. He looked up at the two men still kissing on the couch and snickered, “See? I knew you two could get along.”

“Hush, Moony.” Sirius pulled away for a moment, “I can hate somebody and still watch them fuck my boyfriend.”

Severus dragged him back into the kiss, pinning him down underneath him as Remus continued laughing on the floor.

\------

Sunlight leaked through a crack in the blinds, beaming directly onto Sirius’s face. He groaned and rubbed at his neck as he sat up on the sofa. One of the bodies on the floor shifted slightly and he started at the sight of Severus held tight in Remus’s arms.

Both of the men were fast asleep, Severus’s naked body covered in red lines. Sirius smiled fondly down at the two of them and slipped on a pair of pants before sneaking out into the hall. He called for Kreacher out in the hall and asked for coffee to be brought up in a half hour. The withered elf bowed and vanished, and Sirius slipped back into the room.

Remus was stirring when he returned, and Sirius crouched down to press a kiss to his temple. Remus blinked sleepily, then smiled when he saw Severus still fast asleep on his chest.

“Good for him for not running out of here the first chance he had.” Remus whispered, “Do you think he’ll want to go again sometime?”

Sirius shrugged, “Weirder things have happened.”


End file.
